Penetration-resistant textile fabrics and articles comprising said fabrics

ABSTRACT

Penetration-resistant textile fabrics and articles that include the fabrics. The penetration-resistant textile fabrics have improved fragment protection and improved stab resistance efficiency at the same ballistic protection. The advantageous combination of characteristics of the penetration-resistant textile fabrics correspondingly transfers to articles that include the penetration-resistant textile fabrics.

BACKGROUND

Textile fabrics offering penetration-resistance, i.e. protection against attacks by projectile, stabbing, and explosive weapons, are known. The attack with projectile weapons can occur with bullet-shaped or fragmented ammunition, so that a penetration-resistant textile fabric should provide at least protection from bullets and fragments. During an attack using explosive weapons, the fragment protection action of the used penetration-resistant textile fabric is essential. Therefore, there has existed for a long time a need for penetration-resistant textile fabrics having ballistic and fragment protection, wherein an increased need for penetration-resistant textile fabrics has recently come into being, which fabrics have an improved fragment protection action at the same ballistic protection.

SUMMARY

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a penetration-resistant textile fabric which has an improved fragment protection action and at the same time ballistic protection.

The object is iachieved by a penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) comprising at least one untwisted high-performance filament yarn having a breaking tenacity of at least 1100 MPa, measured without twist according to ASTM D-885, which fabric is characterized in that the high-performance filament yarn is a volumized high-performance filament yarn to the extent that the textile fabric (I) which comprises the volumized high-performance filament yarn has a relative compressibility measured according to DIN 53885 (October 1997), determined by measuring the initial thickness at a measuring pressure of 0.5 N/cm² and the end thickness at a measuring pressure of 5 N/cm², wherein the relative compressibility is greater by a factor of f, which has a value in the range of 1.2 to 5, than the relative compressibility of a textile comparison fabric, the production of which differs from the production of the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) only in that the high-performance filament yarn of the textile comparison fabric is not volumized.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The production of the above mentioned textile comparison fabric differs from the production of the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) only in that the high-performance yarn of the textile comparison fabric is not volumized. This means that during the production of the textile comparison fabric, the same filament forming base material, thus e.g. the same filament forming polymer with the same molecular weight, is spun in the same spinning method into a high-performance filament yarn as during the production of the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I). However, the high-performance filament yarn which is used to produce the penetration-resistant textile comparison fabric is not volumized and is processed in the same way as for the production of the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) into the textile comparison fabric.

Surprisingly, the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) is characterized by an improved fragment protection action at the same ballistic protection.

This is even more surprising, as the essential volumization of the high-performance filament yarn used in the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) is associated with a clear deterioration of the mechanical characteristics of the yarn in the form of a reduction in the breaking tenacity of the yarn, e.g. by 20%, and in the elongation at rupture of the yarn e.g. by 11%. In view of such drastically worsened yarn characteristics, a person skilled in the art would have to expect that the ballistic and fragment protection of a textile fabric which comprises a yarn of this type would be likewise drastically reduced. A person skilled in the art would already be surprised if the ballistic and fragment protection of a textile fabric which comprises a yarn of this type was only slightly reduced. Therefore, it must indeed surprise a person skilled in the art when the ballistic and fragment protection of a textile fabric which contains a yarn of this type not only does not decrease, but instead remains as high in regard to ballistic protection, and even significantly increases in regard to fragment protection.

Further, the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) surprisingly has an improved stab resistance efficiency which, in view of the previously described clear deterioration of the mechanical characteristics of the high-performance filament yarn due to the volumization thereof, is even more surprising.

In a preferred embodiment, the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) comprises a high-performance filament yarn with a strength of at least 1700 MPa (120 cN/tex), particularly preferably at least 2160 MPa (150 cN/tex), measured without twist according to ASTM D-885.

In a further preferred embodiment of the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I), the high-performance filament yarn is selected from the group that consists of aramid filament yarns, polybenzoxazole filament yarns, polybenzothiazole filament yarns, and thermoplastic filament yarns, such as liquid crystalline polyester filament yarns, or a mixture of at least two of the above mentioned filament yarns. This means, that for example the high-performance filament yarn is selected either from the group that only comprises aramid filament yarns, or only polybenzoxazole filament yarns, or only polybenzothiazole filament yarns, or only thermoplastic filament yarns, such as liquid crystalline polyester filament yarns. Further, this means that for example the high-performance filament yarn can comprise a mixture of aramid filament yarns with polybenzoxazole and/or polybenzothiazole and/or thermoplastic filament yarns such as liquid crystalline polyester filament yarns. Further, this means that for example the high-performance filament yarn can also comprise a mixture of polybenzoxazole and polybenzothiazole filament yarns.

As used herein, aramid filament yarns refers to filament yarns that are produced from aramids, i.e. from aromatic polyamides, wherein at least 85% of the amide linkages (—CO—NH—) are attached directly to two aromatic rings. An aromatic polyimide that is particularly preferred is polyparaphenylene terephthalamide, a homopolymer resulting from the mole-for-mole polymerization of paraphenylene diamine and terephthaloyl dichloride. Further, aromatic copolymers in which paraphenylene diamine and/or terephthaloyl dichloride are partially or completely substituted by other aromatic diamines or dicarboxylic acid chlorides are also suitable.

As used herein, polybenzoxazole filament yarns and polybenzothiazole filament yarns refers to filament yarns that are produced from polybenzoxazoles or from polybenzothiazoles, i.e. from polymers having the structural units presented in the following, whereby the aromatic groups attached to the nitrogen are preferably carbocyclic, as shown in the structural units. However, said groups can also be heterocyclic. In addition, the aromatic groups attached to the nitrogen are preferably six-membered rings, as shown in the structural units. However, said groups can also be formed as fused or unfused polycyclic systems.

In a preferred embodiment, the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) has high-performance filament yarns with a single filament linear density in the range from 0.4 dtex to 3.0 dtex, particularly preferably in the range from 0.7 dtex to 1.5 dtex, and in particular in the range from 0.8 dtex to 1.2 dtex.

In a further preferred embodiment, the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) has high-performance filament yarns with a yarn linear density in the range from 100 dtex to 6000 dtex, particularly preferably in the range from 210 dtex to 3360 dtex, and in particular in the range from 550 dtex to 1680 dtex.

The penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) is preferably a woven, a knitted fabric, or a unidirectional or multiaxial composite.

Further, the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) can be a woven double layer. The structure of woven double layers of this type is described in WO 02/075238.

If the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) is a woven fabric, the woven fabric is preferably a plain weave, twill weave, satin weave or derivations or combinations thereof. The penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) can be produced from the volumized high-performance filament yarn e.g. using a rigid gripper weaving machine, a ribbon gripper weaving machine, a projectile weaving machine, an air-jet weaving machine or a water-jet weaving machine.

If the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) is a knitted fabric, then the knitted fabric is preferably configured such that the threads run parallel to each other in at least one of the possible thread directions and are fixed by a loop forming binding thread system having at least one thread, with a preferably low weight and volume percent of the knitted fabric.

If the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) is a multiaxial composite, the multiaxial composite consists preferably of two to six, particularly preferably of two layers of high-performance filament yarns of the previously described type lying parallel, wherein the high-performance filament yarns of one layer have an angle a in respect to the high-performance filament yarns of the adjacent layer and a preferably lies in the range from 0° to 90° and particularly preferably in the range from 20° to 70°, wherein a value of α=45° is more particularly preferred. Further, the at least two layers of high-performance filament yarns of the previously described type lying parallel are preferably connected to each other by a loop or seam forming binding thread system having at least one thread, with a preferably low weight and volume percent in relation to the multiaxial composite.

The penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) comprises a high-performance filament yarn of the previously described type that is characterized in that the high-performance filament yarn is a volumized high-performance filament yarn. The volumization of the high-performance filament yarn can thereby in principle be carried out by any method that is in a position to increase the volume of the high-performance filament yarn used to the extent that the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I), which comprises the volumized high-performance filament yarn, has a relative compressibility, measured in the previously described way according to DIN 53885 (October 1997), which is greater by a factor of f, which has a value in the range from 1.2 to 5, than the relative compressibility of a textile comparison fabric, the production of which differs from the production of the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) only in that the high-performance filament yarn of the textile comparison fabric is not volumized.

A method for volumization is e.g. shrinkage. Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment of the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I), the volumized, high-performance filament yarn comprises high-performance filaments—preferably aramid filaments, polybenzoxazole filaments, polybenzothiazole filaments, liquid crystalline polyester filaments, or a mixture of at least two of the filaments just indicated—and shrunken filaments, such as polyacrylonitrile filaments. To produce a yarn of this type, the high-performance filaments and the shrinkable filaments, such as stretched polyacrylonitrile filaments, are mixed, processed into a mixed filament yarn, and the shrinkage is activated in the mixed filament yarn, by which means the high-performance filament yarns do not themselves shrink; however, an increase of the volume occurs due to the shrinkage of the shrinkable filaments so that the desired volumized high-performance filament yarn results.

A preferred method for volumizing is texturizing the high-performance filament yarn used, e.g. by false-twist or knit-de-knit texturizing, wherein knit-de-knit texturizing is particularly preferred. Knit-de-knit texturizing means that the high-performance filament yarn used is fed into a circular knitting machine, for example having a diameter from 1 to 50 inches, a fineness of preferably 5 to 20 gauge, and the resulting tube is steam treated twice for a time period in the range from 10 to 60 minutes at a temperature of >100° C., for example in an autoclave, and undone. The knit-de-knit texturized yarn thus treated has a wave-like structure afterwards, indeed even if the knit-de-knit texturized high-performance filament yarn is a knit-de-knit texturized aramid filament yam. The latter is surprising for a person skilled in the art because up until now it has been assumed that aramid filament yarns cannot be texturized.

In embodiments, the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) has a relative compressibility, measured in the previously described way according to DIN 53885 (October 1997), which is greater by a factor of f, which has a value in the range from 1.2 to 5, than the relative compressibility of a textile comparison fabric, the production of which differs from the production of the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) only in that the high-performance filament yarn of the textile comparison fabric is not volumized. In the indicated value range of the factor f, the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) surprisingly has an improved fragment protection and additionally an improved stab resistance efficiency at the same ballistic protection. If f is smaller than 1.2, the above mentioned combination of characteristics is not observed. If f is greater than 5, structures are present whose low degree of orientation in the longitudinal direction of the fibers leads to a clear reduction of the energy dissipation required for ballistic protection.

The just mentioned surprising combination of characteristics of improved fragment protection at the same ballistic protection and additionally an improved stab resistance efficiency is especially clearly distinct if the factor f lies in the range from 1.4 to 4, and particularly preferably in the range from 1.6 to 3.0. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I), the factor f has a value in the range from 1.4 to 4, and in a particularly preferred embodiment, a value in the range from 1.6 to 3.0.

The previously described surprising combination of characteristics of improved fragment protection at the same ballistic protection and additionally an improved stab resistance efficiency, is correspondingly transferred to articles which comprise the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I). Therefore, an article (Al) comprising at least one penetration-resistant textile fabric (I) is likewise part of the present invention, wherein a person skilled in the art who understands the invention can easily determine the number of penetration-resistant textile fabrics (I) necessary for a certain embodiment of the article (AI).

In a preferred embodiment, the article (AI) is

i) a helmet, vehicle armor, a ceramic composite plate, or another protective structure which is strengthened by means of resin matrices, or

ii) a fragment protection mat, a bullet-proof vest, a flak jacket, a stab-resistant vest, or a combination of at least two of the indicated articles, such as a combined bullet-proof vest and flak jacket.

In a further preferred embodiment, the article (AI) is a combined bullet-, fragment-, and stab-resistant vest.

The underlying object is further achieved by a penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) comprising at least one untwisted high-performance filament yarn with a strength of at least 1100 MPa measured without twist according to ASTM D-885, characterized in that the textile fabric (II) is a volumized textile fabric to the extent that the volumized textile fabric has a relative compressibility measured according to DIN 53885 (October 1997), determined by measuring the initial thickness at a measuring pressure of 0.5 N/cm² and the end thickness at a measuring pressure of 5 N/cm², wherein the relative compressibility is greater by a factor of f, which has a value in the range of 1.2 to 5, than the relative compressibility of a textile comparison fabric which differs from the volumized textile fabric only in that it is not volumized.

That the above-mentioned textile comparison fabric differs from the penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) only in that it, the textile comparison fabric, is not volumized, meaning that, during the production of the textile comparison fabric, the same filament forming base material, thus e.g. the same filament forming polymer with the same molecular weight, is spun in the same spinning method into a high-performance filament yarn and is subsequently processed into the textile comparison fabric in the same way as the penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) is processed, wherein however the textile comparison fabric is not volumized.

Surprisingly, the penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) is also characterized by an improved fragment protection at the same ballistic protection and additionally by an improved stab resistance efficiency.

This is even more surprising since the essential volumization of the penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) is associated with a clear deterioration of the mechanical characteristics of the penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) such as the breaking tenacity thereof. In view of this deterioration, a person skilled in the art would have to expect that the ballistic and fragment protection as well as the stab protection of the textile fabric with such a deterioration in its mechanical characteristics would be likewise drastically reduced. Consequently, it must surprise a person skilled in the art when the ballistic and fragment protection of the textile fabric (II) with a deterioration in its mechanical characteristics not only does not decrease, but instead remains as high in regard to ballistic protection, and even significantly increases in regard to fragment protection, and that the penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) additionally shows an improved stab resistance efficiency.

In a preferred embodiment, the penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) comprises a high-performance filament yarn with a strength of at least 1700 MPa (120 cN/tex), particularly preferably at least 2160 MPa (150 cN/tex) measured without twist according to ASTM D-885.

In a further preferred embodiment of the penetration-resistant textile fabric (II), the high-performance filament yarn is selected from the group that consists of aramid filament yarns, polybenzoxazole filament yams, polybenzothiazole filament yarns, and thermoplastic filament yarns, such as liquid crystalline polyester filament yarns, or a mixture of at least two of the above mentioned filament yarns. This means analogously the same as was already stated during the description of the penetration-resistant textile fabric (I).

In a preferred embodiment, the penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) has high-performance filament yarns with a single filament linear density in the range from 0.4 dtex to 3.0 dtex, particularly preferably in the range from 0.7 dtex to 1.5 dtex, and in particular in the range from 0.8 dtex to 1.2 dtex.

In a further preferred embodiment, the penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) has high-performance filament yarns with a yarn linear density from 100 dtex to 6000 dtex, particularly preferably in the range from 210 dtex to 3360 dtex, and in particular in the range from 550 dtex to 1680 dtex.

The volumized, penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) is preferably a woven, a knitted fabric, or a unidirectional or multiaxial composite.

Further, the penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) can be a woven double layer. The structure of woven double layers of this type is described in WO 02/075238.

If the volumized penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) is a woven, the woven is preferably a plain weave, twill weave, satin weave or derivations or combinations thereof.

If the volumized penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) is a knitted fabric, then the knitted fabric is preferably configured such that the inventive threads run parallel to each other in at least one of the possible thread directions and are fixed by a loop forming binding thread system having at least one thread, with a preferably low weight and volume percent of the knitted fabric.

If the volumized penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) is a multiaxial composite, the multiaxial composite consists preferably of two to six, particularly preferably of two layers of high-performance filament yarns of the previously described type lying parallel, wherein the high-performance filament yarns of one layer have an angle a in respect to the high-performance filament yarns of the adjacent layer and a preferably lies in the range from 0° to 90° and particularly preferably in the range from 20° to 70°, wherein a value of α=45° is more particularly preferred. In addition, the at least two layers of high-performance filament yarns of the previously described type lying parallel are preferably connected to each other by a loop or seam forming binding thread system having at least one thread, with a preferably low weight and volume percent in relation to the multiaxial composite.

The penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) is characterized in that it is a volumized penetration-resistant textile fabric. The volumization of the textile fabric can be thereby implemented in principle by any method that is in the position to increase the volume of the penetration-resistant textile fabric used to the extent that the inpenetration-resistant textile fabric has a relative compressibility, measured in the previously described way according to DIN 53885 (October 1997), which is greater by a factor of f, which has a value in the range from 1.2 to 5, than the relative compressibility of a textile fabric which differs from the volumized textile fabric only in that it is not volumized.

A suitable method for volumization is e.g. shrinkage. For this purpose, a penetration-resistant textile fabric is used that contains in addition to the previously described high-performance filament yarn a shrinkable yarn, e.g. a stretched polyacrylonitrile yarn, which effects by its shrinkage the volumization of the penetration-resistant textile fabric used when the shrinkage is activated, by which means the volumized penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) is generated.

Consequently, in a preferred embodiment, the volumized textile fabric (II) is a fabric that contains in addition to the high-performance filament yarn a shrunken yarn, e.g. a shrunken polyacrylonitrile yarn.

The penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) has a. relative compressibility, measured in the previously described way according to DIN 53885 (October 1997), which is greater by a factor of f, which has a value in the range from 1.2 to 5, than the relative compressibility of a textile comparison fabric which differs from the volumized textile fabric only in that it is not volumized. In the indicated value range of the factor f, the penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) has an improved fragment protection and additionally an improved stab resistance efficiency at the same ballistic protection. If f is smaller than 1.2, the above mentioned combination of characteristics is not observed. If f is greater than 5, structures are present whose low degree of orientation in the longitudinal direction of the fibers leads to a clear reduction of the energy dissipation required for ballistic protection.

The just mentioned surprising combination of characteristics of improved fragment protection at the same ballistic protection and improved stab resistance efficiency is especially clearly distinct if the factor f lies in the range from 1.4 to 4, and particularly preferably in the range from 1.6 to 3.0. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the penetration-resistant textile fabric (II), the factor f has a value in the range from 1.4 to 4, and in a particularly preferred embodiment, a value in the range from 1.6 to 3.0.

The previously described surprising combination of characteristics of improved fragment protection at the same ballistic protection and an improved stab resistance efficiency, which is inherent in the penetration-resistant textile fabric (II), is correspondingly transferred to articles which comprise the penetration-resistant textile fabric (II). Therefore, an article (AII) comprising at least one penetration-resistant textile fabric (II) is likewise an embodiment of the present invention, wherein a person skilled in the art w could easily determine the number of penetration-resistant textile fabrics (II) necessary for a certain embodiment of the article (AII).

In a preferred embodiment, the article (AII) is

i) a helmet, vehicle armor, a ceramic composite plate, or another protective structure which is respectively strengthened by means of resin matrices, or

ii) a fragment protection mat, a bullet-proof vest, a flak jacket, a stab-resistant vest, or a combination of at least two of the indicated articles, such as a combined bullet-proof vest and flak jacket.

In a further preferred embodiment, the article (AII) is a combined bullet-, fragment-, and stab-resistant vest.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail in the following examples. The following measuring methods will be used therein:

The breaking tenacity and the elongation at rupture are measured according to ASTM D-885, however without twist.

The relative compressibility of the woven is measured according to DIN 53885 (October 1997) with the difference that the initial thickness is measured at a measuring pressure of 0.5 N/cm² and the end thickness at a measuring pressure of 5.0 N/cm2.

EXAMPLES Example 1

A polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn (Twaron® type 2040, 930 dtex, f1000 t0 (t0 means twist=0, thus an untwisted yarn) available from Teijin Aramid GmbH) with a breaking tenacity of 200 cN/tex, i.e. 2880 MPa, and an elongation at rupture of 3.0% is knit-de-knit texturized as described in the following: The polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn is fed into a circular knitting machine with a diameter of 3.5 inches and with a fineness of 13 gauge and the resulting tube is steam treated twice for 30 minutes at 120° C. and undone. The knit-de-knit texturized yarn thus treated has a wave-like structure.

As a result of the knit-de-knit texturizing, the breaking tenacity of the polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn deteriorates to a value of 160 cN/tex (2240 MPa), i.e. by 20%, and the elongation at rupture to 2.66%, i.e. by 11%.

The knit-de-knit polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn is processed at a thread count of 8.5 per cm in warp and weft on a rigid gripper weaving machine to a plain weave with a mass per unit area of 165 g/m².

The woven comprising the polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn has a relative compressibility of 28.3%.

16 layers of the woven comprising the knit-de-knit texturized polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn are stacked in the unprocessed state, i.e. without removing the finish through e.g. a washing process and without applying a water-repellent finish, into a package. The package is humidity conditioned at a temperature of 20° C. for 20 h at a relative humidity of 65% and has a mass per unit area of 2.6 kg/m². The humidity conditioned package is bombarded with fragment simulating projectiles according to STANAG 2920 (1.1 g fragments) and the v₅₀ (fragment) value, i.e. the shot velocity at which 50% of all shots are sustained, is determined. The value of v₅₀(fragment) is 483 m/s (see Table 1).

Comparison Example 1

A polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn (Twaron type 2040, 930 dtex, f1000 t0 (t0 means twist=0, thus an untwisted yarn) available from Teijin Aramid GmbH) with a breaking tenacity of 200 cN/tex, i.e. 2880 MPa, and an elongation at rupture of 3% is processed into a woven as in Example 1 but in the non-texturized state. This means that the yarn is not knit-de-knit texturized prior to being processed into the woven and is otherwise not subjected to any volumization treatment.

The woven comprising the non-texturized polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn has a relative compressibility of 12.5%.

16 layers of the woven consisting of the non-texturized polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn are stacked in the unprocessed state into a package and humidity-conditioned as in Example 1. The package has a mass per unit area of 2.6 kg/m². As in Example 1, v₅₀(fragment) is determined for the humidity-conditioned package. The value of v₅₀(fragment) is 453 m/s (see Table 1).

Example 2

A polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn (Twaron° type 2040, 930 dtex, f1000 t0 (t0 means twist=0, thus an untwisted yarn) available from Teijin Aramid GmbH) with a breaking tenacity of 200 cN/tex, i.e. 2880 MPa, and an elongation at rupture of 3% is knit-de-knit texturized as in Example 1.

As a result of the knit-de-knit texturizing, the breaking tenacity of the polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn deteriorates to a value of 160 cN/tex (2240 MPa), i.e. by 20%, and the elongation at rupture to 2.66%, i.e. by 11%.

The knit-de-knit polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn is processed as in Example 1 into a woven.

The woven consisting of the knit-de-knit polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn has a relative compressibility of 28.3%.

26 layers of the woven comprising the knit-de-knit texturized polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn are stacked in the unprocessed state, i.e. without removing the finish through e.g. a washing process and without applying a water-repellent finish, into a package. The package is humidity conditioned at a temperature of 20° C. for 20 h at a relative humidity of 65% and has a mass per unit area of 4.25 kg/m². The humidity-conditioned package is bombarded with 9 mm DM 41 ammunition and the v₅₀ (projectile) value is determined. The v₅₀ (projectile) value is 473±10 m/s (see Table 1).

Comparison Example 2

A polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn* (Twaron® type 2040, 930 dtex, f1000 t0 (t0 means twist=0, thus an untwisted yarn) available from Teijin Aramid GmbH) with a breaking tenacity of 200 cN/tex, i.e. 2880 MPa, and an elongation at rupture of 3% is processed into a woven as in Example 2 but in the non-texturized state. This means that the yarn is not knit-de-knit texturized prior to being processed into the woven and is otherwise not subjected to any volumization treatment.

The woven consisting of the non-texturized polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn has a relative compressibility of 12.5%.

26 layers of the woven comprising the non-texturized polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn are stacked into a package and humidity conditioned as in Example 2. As in Example 2, the v₅₀ (projectile) value is determined for the humidity-conditioned package. The v₅₀ (projectile) value is 478±6 m/s (see Table 1).

TABLE 1 Relative compressibility Yarn of the woven v₅₀(fragment) [m/s] Example 1 knit-de-knit 28.3% 483 texturized f = 2.26 Comparison non-texturized 12.5% 453 example 1 v₅₀(projectile) [m/s] Example 2 knit-de-knit 28.3% 473 ± 10 texturized f = 2.26 Comparison non-texturized 12.5% 478 ± 6  example 2

Table 1 shows that the woven made of the knit-de-knit texturized yarn has, at the same good ballistic protection (compare Example 2 with Comparison example 2), a fragment protection that is 6.6% higher in comparison to the woven made from non-texturized yarn (compare Example 1 with Comparison example 1).

Example 3

25 layers of a woven made of the knit-de-knit texturized polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn and produced as in Example 1 are stacked in the unprocessed state into a package. The package is humidity conditioned as in Example 1 and has a mass per unit area of 4.1 kg/m². According to the “Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) Body Armour Standards for UK Police (2007), Part 3: Knife and Spike Resistance”, the package is subjected to a stab protection test with a P1/B knife, said knife being described in the above mentioned standard on page 6, section 5.3, FIG. 2, and on page 21. For this purpose, the package to be tested is laid on an elastic foam of 66 mm thickness. The foam simulates the human body. The foam lies on a metal plate. The package to be tested, lying on the foam, is stabbed with the previously designated P1/B knife, which has a specific kinetic energy. The penetration depth of the knife into the foam is then measured. The penetration depth in the foam simulates the depth with which the knife would penetrate the body of the attacked person during a knife attack at a specific energy of the knife.

Afterwards, the kinetic energy of the knife is increased and the penetration depth of the knife into the foam that occurs at the increased kinetic energy is determined. The results are shown in Table 2.

Comparison Example 3

25 layers of a woven made of the non-texturized polyparaphenylene terephthalamide filament yarn, produced as in Comparison example 1, are stacked in the unprocessed state into a package. The package is humidity conditioned as in Example 1 and has a mass per unit area of 4.1 kg/m². According to the “Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) Body Armour Standards for UK Police (2007), Part 3: Knife and Spike Resistance”, the package is subjected to a stab protection test with a P1/B knife as in Example 3. The results are shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Kinetic energy of the P1/B knife Package from Package from [Joules] Example 3 Comparison example 3 10.2 Penetration depth = Penetration depth = 7 mm 32 mm 36.0 Penetration depth = Complete penetration 16 mm

Table 2 shows that, during the stabbing of the package from Example 3, made from the woven layers made of knit-de-knit texturized filament yarn, at a kinetic energy of the knife of 10.2 joules, the penetration depth of the knife into the foam is only 7 mm, while at the same kinetic energy of the knife, the stabbing of the package from Comparison example 3, made from woven layers made of non-texturized filament yarn, leads to a penetration depth of 32 mm into the foam.

Table 2 further shows that, during the stabbing of the package from Example 3, made from the woven layers made of knit-de-knit texturized filament yarn, at a kinetic energy of the knife of 36 joules, the penetration depth of the knife into the foam is only 16 mm, while at the same kinetic energy of the knife, the stabbing of the package from Comparison example 3, made from woven layers made of non-texturized filament yarn, leads to complete penetration of the foam, such that the knife hits the metal plate on which the foam lies. 

1. A penetration-resistant textile fabric comprising at least one untwisted high-performance filament yarn selected from the group consisting of aramid filament yarns, polybenzoxazole filament yarns, polybenzothiazole filament yarns, and mixtures of the filament yarns, wherein: the at least one untwisted high-performance filament yarn has a breaking tenacity of at least 1100 MPa, measured without twist according to ASTM D-885, and the at least one untwisted high-performance filament yarn is a volumized high-performance filament yarn to the extent that the textile fabric (I) which comprises the volumized high-performance filament yarn has a relative compressibility, measured according to DIN 53885, determined by measuring the initial thickness at a measuring pressure of 0.5 N/cm² and the end thickness at a measuring pressure of 5 N/cm², wherein-the relative compressibility ie-being greater by a factor off, which has a value in the range of 1.2 to 5, than the-a relative compressibility of a textile comparison fabric, the production of which differs from the production of the penetration-resistant textile fabric in that the high-performance filament yarn of the textile comparison fabric is not volumized.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The penetration-resistant textile fabric according to claim 1, wherein the textile fabric is a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, or a unidirectional or multiaxial composite.
 4. The penetration-resistant textile fabric according to claim 1, wherein the volumized high-performance filament yarn comprises high-performance filaments and shrunken filaments.
 5. The penetration-resistant textile fabric according claim 1, wherein the volumized high-performance filament yarn is a texturized high-performance filament yarn.
 6. The penetration-resistant textile fabric according to claim 5, wherein the texturized high-performance filament yarn is a knit-de-knit texturized high-performance filament yarn.
 7. The penetration-resistant textile fabric according to claim 1, wherein the factor f has a value in the range from 1.4 to
 4. 8. An article comprising at least one penetration-resistant textile fabric according to claim
 1. 9. The article according to claim 8, wherein the article is: i) selected from the group consisting of a helmet, a vehicle armor, or and a ceramic composite plate, or ii) selected from the group consisting of a fragment protection mat, a bullet-proof vest, a flak jacket, a stab-resistant vest, and combinations thereof. cm 10-16. (canceled) 